August 15, 2021
The Feast of the Assumption (Year B)
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. It is the tradition of our Church that Mary, the mother of Jesus was assumed bodily into heaven after her death. She was immaculately conceived, that is born without sin, and so holy that God spared her body from the corruption of the grave. This feast was declared an official dogma of the Catholic Church in 1950 by Pope Pius XII.
Although there is no scriptural reference to the actual event, there are still some readings about Mary that we hear today which together indirectly point to the reason for the Assumption of Mary. The First Reading is a familiar one from the book of Revelation (Rev. 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab). It is a vision by the author which is about the impact that the incarnation of Jesus had on the story of salvation.
First, we are told, “God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple” (Rev. 11:19a). Then a great sign appears in the sky, a woman who is about to give birth. She is clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. This would be the Blessed Virgin Mary in glory, crowned as the Queen of Heaven.
A second sign appears of a monstrous-looking red dragon who is waiting to devour the child when he is born. But when the child is born, Jesus, he is caught up to heaven to the right hand of God. And the woman is taken to a safe place prepared for her by God. This is a depiction of the defeat of the devil and the salvation brought by Jesus after his birth, life, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. For it is written: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.” (Rev. 12:10ab).
The Gospel is also a very familiar passage from Luke (Lk 1:39-56), the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth after the announcement of the Angel Gabriel. After she is told that she is to bear the Son of God, Mary rushes in haste to her cousin Elizabeth who she has discovered is also with child after years of barrenness. Elizabeth expresses her humble surprise when she sees Mary, “the mother of my Lord,” and she declares the blessedness of Mary among all other women.
Mary then follows this greeting of Elizabeth with her prayer known as the Magnificat. However, before she begins speaking, Elizabeth makes a statement which is key in tying this passage to the First Reading and the mention of the ark of the covenant. She says, “At the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” (Lk. 1:44).
Here it is important to consider some background information about the Ark of the Covenant. After the people of Israel had arrived at Mt. Sinai and received the Ten Commandments, God gave them instructions to build a sanctuary for Him to dwell in – a portable temple, known as the Tabernacle. The first piece built and placed into the Tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant. It was made of acacia wood, which was regarded as holy and extremely durable. And it was covered with pure gold and thus free of impurities. Because of its makeup the Ark was considered to be very sacred.
The Ark of the Covenant was the dwelling place of God when He descended from heaven during the time of the Exodus in the form of the glory cloud. It was also the means by which God led the people through the wilderness to bring them to the Promised Land. Whenever they carried the Ark with them into battle, they were victorious. But if the Ark was absent, they were defeated. Placed within the Ark of the Covenant were three holy and precious items – the tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments, the staff of Aaron, the priestly brother of Moses, and an urn filled with manna.
Once David became king and conquered the city of Jerusalem, he brought the Ark of the Covenant to its resting place there in the holy city. When David brought the Ark to Jerusalem, there was a great celebration among all of the people. David himself leaped and danced for joy as it was carried through the streets. However, when the Babylonians exiled the people of Judah and destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple (587BC), the Ark of the Covenant disappeared. From then on, the Jewish people believed that the Ark would reappear when the Messiah came.
Scholars believe that when Jesus appeared as the Messiah, he was indeed accompanied by the Ark of the Covenant. However, instead of being a box made of gold, it was in the form of Mary. If we look at some close details about Mary, we can see how this could be.
First, when the Angel Gabrielle tells Mary that she will become pregnant, he says that she will be “overshadowed” by the Holy Spirit. In Luke’s Greek translation this word “overshadowed” is the same word used for when God would appear over the Ark in the form of the “glory cloud.” Next, when Mary encounters Elizabeth at the Visitation, Elizabeth says that the baby “leaped for joy” just as King David did when he brought the Ark to Jerusalem.
Also of significance is the fact that Mary carried within her womb the exact same items that were placed in the Ark. These were the Ten Commandments, which would have represented Jesus as the “Word of God.” The staff of Aaron, which would have signified Jesus as the “great high priest” (Heb. 4:14). And the manna, which would have symbolized Jesus as the “bread of life.”
Finally, because Mary was sinless throughout her life from the time of her birth, she was even more pure, holy, and sacred than the Ark which was made from special human materials.
In the typology of scripture, if Moses was responsible for building the Ark of the Covenant and King David had it brought to its new location in Jerusalem, then Jesus as the new Moses and new David had final responsibility for its ultimate resting place in heaven in the form of Mary. This is why she was assumed into heaven upon her death and why we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption today.
